Urban grain and the vibrancy of older neighborhoods: metrics and measures

Abstract

As American cities focus on urban growth and increased density, they must learn to adapt and transform over time. The character of place and pedestrian vibrancy and neighborhood sustainability depends on the accessibility and proximity of services and functions in order for them to be successful. Older neighborhoods – ones that were developed before the dependence on the automobile – are our best examples of walkable, vibrant neighborhood fabric yet are disappearing at an alarming rate across American cities in the name of the a new urban density and under the premise that non ‘historic' buildings hold little value. Neighborhoods that encompass a variety of textures, building ages and sizes that relate to pedestrian scale and walkability contribute a collective heritage and value to cities over time.